Learn how digital solutions can help us achieve the four SDGs that primarily focus on improving people's quality of life and their ability to live dignified lives.

The goal

Digital’s positive impact

Makes health more accessible and affordable, and enables better quality

Regional progress toward achieving this goal

As of June 2016

Africa

17/100 17% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

83/100 83% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Asia

56/100 56% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

32/100 32% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

10/100 10% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Europe

57/100 57% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

30/100 30% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

11/100 11% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Latin America & Caribbean

73/100 73% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

10/100 10% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

15/100 15% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Northern America

50/100 10% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Oceania

49/100 49% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

34/100 34% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

13/100 14% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

3/100 3% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Key challenges about health today:

437 mothers die for every 100,000 live births in the world’s least developed countries

1.25 million people die and 50 million are injured from traffic accidents each year

16% of deaths in the developed world are caused by non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular conditions and diabetes

5 ways that e-healthcare can help

Remote diagnosis

New digital, medical technologies like wearable tech, patient-doctor videoconferencing and biosensors enable people to receive diagnosis for medical problems remotely, and could easily be applied in developing countries where they could significantly cut the costs of seeing a doctor and – in the process – save lives.

Access to medical training

The fascinating field of augmented reality is actually enabling doctors to train remotely, and some health workers are now being trained in part by mobile phone, for example in remote parts of the developing world. These technologies could make significant inroads into training the number of doctors needed to cut maternal mortality to fewer than 70 in 100,000 live births. (Target 3.1)

More patient freedom

The ability to diagnose and prescribe medicine remotely also gives patients much more freedom to receive the right treatment in a way that is convenient to them.

Reducing non-communicable diseases

Wearable tech and fitness apps are allowing more people to understand and prevent conditions more easily by closely monitoring their own health statistics and taking the necessary action to avert or treat conditions, adding years to people’s lives. (Target 3.4)

Preventing road accidents

Cars that communicate with their surroundings could prevent up to 60 per cent of road traffic accidents and related fatalities and injuries from happening. With a 100 per cent adoption rate, this could save a total of around 720,000 lives and prevent 30 million injuries from road accidents. (Target 3.6)

The business case

The World Health Organization estimates that road traffic deaths and injuries in developing countries alone cause economic losses of up to 5 per cent of GDP, so technologies that reduce these will contribute significantly to equitable growth.

GeSI estimates that e-healthcare solutions could generate over $200 billion of additional annual revenues for the health sector by 2030.

The goal

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Digital’s positive impact

Improves accessibility, affordability and quality of education.

Regional progress toward achieving this goal

As of June 2016

Africa

22/100 22% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

74/100 74% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Asia

66/100 66% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

26/100 26% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

4/100 4% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

4/100 4% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Europe

83/100 83% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

6/100 6% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

11/100 11% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Latin America & Caribbean

56/100 56% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

32/100 32% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

5/100 5% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

7/100 7% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Northern America

50/100 50% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Oceania

55/100 55% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

33/100 33% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

5/100 5% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

7/100 7% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Key challenges about education today:

57 million primary school-age children currently do not go to school

14% of adults in developed countries do not finish secondary education

30 million extra schoolteachers needed to achieve this SDG by 2030, according to UNESCO

63% of CEOs worry about their ability to hire qualified graduates in the future

Top 5 ways e-learning can improve global education

Better access

The lack of quality textbooks and trained teachers will become less of an issue as downloadable learning portfolios with interactive learning units replace, or at least supplement, teacher and paper textbook-centric approaches. Thereby, education can become more accessible in remote and resource constraint areas (Target 4.1)

More affordable

Students, their families, and governments could save around $1.2 trillion a year in 2030 from e-learning. Tuition fees will fall, while access will improve and become more equitable. GeSI’s research suggests that in North America, e-learning will eventually cut around $5,000 per year from the cost of education for a student by 2030.

Cost-effective vocational training

Digital learning is also applied in vocational training: around 10 per cent of companies use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to train their staff, and this is projected to rise to around a third by 2030. (Target 4.4) These cost-effective tools are not only used by companies, but also by universities to deliver education to more people.

More tailored

e-learning allows students to tailor their education. If people want to improve their literacy skills, there is an application for that. For learning a new language, there is now intuitive, gamified software. Meanwhile, responsive student feedback, personalized syllabuses and lower tuition fees can help to motivate students of all ages, in countries of all income groups.

More opportunities

Reduced tuition improves people’s future participation opportunities. It is estimated that for every additional year of schooling, a student can anticipate a 10 per cent increase in their average earnings – an effect that is magnified in developing regions. Moreover, people looking for a job could take advantage of affordable online courses to increase their skillset – and improve their chances for employment (Target 4.b)

The business case

Rolling out e-learning solutions will not only transform education and deliver social and economic benefits to people, but also provide substantial benefits for the education sector: learning centers, for example, can look forward to additional revenues of $413 billion from e-learning in 2030. In North America, the number of students in traditional education is predicted to fall by two million between 2014 and 2030. Yet, the shortfall will be more than compensated by a 18-fold rise in the number of students enrolled in e-learning, which is expected to rise to nearly six million in 2030.

About Sustainable Development Goal 17

Goal 17 – “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development” – is an overarching goal, not attributable to one “impact area,” such as improving quality of life.

The goal

Digital’s positive impact

Makes health more accessible and affordable, and enables better quality.

Regional progress toward achieving this goal

As of June 2016

Africa

17/100 17% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

83/100 83% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Asia

56/100 56% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

32/100 32% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

10/100 10% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Europe

57/100 57% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

30/100 30% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

11/100 11% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Latin America & Caribbean

73/100 73% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

10/100 10% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

15/100 15% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Northern America

50/100 10% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Oceania

49/100 49% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

34/100 34% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

13/100 14% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

3/100 3% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Key challenges about health today:

437 mothers die for every 100,000 live births in the world’s least developed countries

1.25 million people die and 50 million are injured from traffic accidents each year

16% of deaths in the developed world are caused by non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular conditions and diabetes

5 ways that e-healthcare can help

Remote diagnosis

New digital, medical technologies like wearable tech, patient-doctor videoconferencing and biosensors enable people to receive diagnosis for medical problems remotely, and could easily be applied in developing countries where they could significantly cut the costs of seeing a doctor and – in the process – save lives.

Access to medical training

The fascinating field of augmented reality is actually enabling doctors to train remotely, and some health workers are now being trained in part by mobile phone, for example in remote parts of the developing world. These technologies could make significant inroads into training the number of doctors needed to cut maternal mortality to fewer than 70 in 100,000 live births. (Target 3.1)

More patient freedom

The ability to diagnose and prescribe medicine remotely also gives patients much more freedom to receive the right treatment in a way that is convenient to them.

Reducing non-communicable diseases

Wearable tech and fitness apps are allowing more people to understand and prevent conditions more easily by closely monitoring their own health statistics and taking the necessary action to avert or treat conditions, adding years to people’s lives. (Target 3.4)

Preventing road accidents

Cars that communicate with their surroundings could prevent up to 60 per cent of road traffic accidents and related fatalities and injuries from happening. With a 100 per cent adoption rate, this could save a total of around 720,000 lives and prevent 30 million injuries from road accidents. (Target 3.6)

The business case

The World Health Organization estimates that road traffic deaths and injuries in developing countries alone cause economic losses of up to 5 per cent of GDP, so technologies that reduce these will contribute significantly to equitable growth.

GeSI estimates that e-healthcare solutions could generate over $200 billion of additional annual revenues for the health sector by 2030.

The goal

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Digital’s positive impact

Improves accessibility, affordability and quality of education.

Regional progress toward achieving this goal

As of June 2016

Africa

22/100 22% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

74/100 74% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

2/100 2% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Asia

66/100 66% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

26/100 26% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

4/100 4% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

4/100 4% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Europe

83/100 83% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

6/100 6% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

11/100 11% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Latin America & Caribbean

56/100 56% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

32/100 32% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

5/100 5% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

7/100 7% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Northern America

50/100 50% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

25/100 25% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Oceania

55/100 55% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets

33/100 33% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets

5/100 5% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets

7/100 7% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update

Key challenges about education today:

57 million primary school-age children currently do not go to school

14% of adults in developed countries do not finish secondary education

30 million extra schoolteachers needed to achieve this SDG by 2030, according to UNESCO

63% of CEOs worry about their ability to hire qualified graduates in the future

Top 5 ways e-learning can improve global education

Better access

The lack of quality textbooks and trained teachers will become less of an issue as downloadable learning portfolios with interactive learning units replace, or at least supplement, teacher and paper textbook-centric approaches. Thereby, education can become more accessible in remote and resource constraint areas (Target 4.1)

More affordable

Students, their families, and governments could save around $1.2 trillion a year in 2030 from e-learning. Tuition fees will fall, while access will improve and become more equitable. GeSI’s research suggests that in North America, e-learning will eventually cut around $5,000 per year from the cost of education for a student by 2030.

Cost-effective vocational training

Digital learning is also applied in vocational training: around 10 per cent of companies use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to train their staff, and this is projected to rise to around a third by 2030. (Target 4.4) These cost-effective tools are not only used by companies, but also by universities to deliver education to more people.

More tailored

e-learning allows students to tailor their education. If people want to improve their literacy skills, there is an application for that. For learning a new language, there is now intuitive, gamified software. Meanwhile, responsive student feedback, personalized syllabuses and lower tuition fees can help to motivate students of all ages, in countries of all income groups.

More opportunities

Reduced tuition improves people’s future participation opportunities. It is estimated that for every additional year of schooling, a student can anticipate a 10 per cent increase in their average earnings – an effect that is magnified in developing regions. Moreover, people looking for a job could take advantage of affordable online courses to increase their skillset – and improve their chances for employment (Target 4.b)

The business case

Rolling out e-learning solutions will not only transform education and deliver social and economic benefits to people, but also provide substantial benefits for the education sector: learning centers, for example, can look forward to additional revenues of $413 billion from e-learning in 2030. In North America, the number of students in traditional education is predicted to fall by two million between 2014 and 2030. Yet, the shortfall will be more than compensated by a 18-fold rise in the number of students enrolled in e-learning, which is expected to rise to nearly six million in 2030.

About Sustainable Development Goal 17

Goal 17 – “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development” – is an overarching goal, not attributable to one “impact area,” such as improving quality of life.